How 5 On Your Side Supports Mental Health with Behavioral Health Response
Looking to help those struggling with mental health issues in the local community, TEGNA’s Ava Ehrlich at KDSK spearheaded a partnership with Behavioral Health Response that helped so many people in the community.
When the pandemic hit, life as we knew it was turned upside down. Many faced mental health issues and were looking for help. Recognizing this problem, TEGNA’s 5 On Your Side in St. Louis began looking for ways to help the community.
“I started looking for an organization in the mental health community that could commit to helping us help our viewers in their daily lives,” says Ava Ehrlich, News, and Business Development Manager at 5 On Your Side. “Then I found fantastic partners in Behavioral Health Response.”
Behavioral Health Response provides free crisis support, telephone counseling, and mental health resources 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In this new partnership, 5 On Your Side began to air segments during the morning news, letting viewers know that trained mental health professionals are volunteering to talk to anyone about problems, stress, or other mental health issues for free, over the phone.
To speak to a mental health professional, viewers were directed to call or text a specific phone number and were ensured that everything discussed in the phone calls remains confidential. Although the number of people helped as a result of this campaign is hard to quantify, the spots were a big success.
“What we have found is that the number of people who call on a day we talk about the issues of mental health, doubles, triples quadruples for the organization,” says Ava Ehrlich, News, and Business Development Manager at 5 On Your Side. “They had to have more people on staff to follow up with the people who have called on days these aired.”
“It warms my heart,” Ehrlich added. “I have talked to people in the community and they mention how grateful they are for these resources.”
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